1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastener lock apparatus mounted on a panel of an air conditioning equipment and like instruments.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, one of conventional fastener lock apparatuses is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 61-20862 wherein: a fixed base mount member is provided with a bearing sleeve portion in which a locking shaft is inserted so as to be capable of axially moving back and forth and rotatably moving relative to the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member; a handle has its proximal end portion connected with a front end portion of the locking shaft through a pivot pin; a spring member is used to bias a distal end portion of the handle toward the fixed base mount member; when a latching plate fixedly mounted on the locking shaft is in its fastened locking position, the proximal end portion of the handle has its first abutting surface abut against the fixed base mount-member; when the latching plate is in its unfastened relief or unlocking position, the proximal end portion of the handle has its second abutting surface abut against the fixed base mount member; and distance between the first abutting surface of the handle and the pivot pin is larger than a distance between the second abutting surface of the handle and the same pivot pin. In operation, in the conventional fastener lock apparatus having the above construction, when the locking shaft is rotatably driven, the latching plate is rotatably driven to reach its fastened locking standby position. Under such circumstances, when the distal end portion of the handle is swingably moved down, the locking shaft is axially move forward so that the locking plate is moved to its fastened locking portion.
In the above-mentioned operation mode of the conventional fastener lock apparatus, when the handle is rotated clockwise through an angle of 90 degrees in a plane parallel to a major surface of a door on which the conventional fastener lock apparatus is fixedly mounted, the latching plate moves to its fastened locking standby position. The conventional fastener lock apparatus operates in two modes, one of which is a clockwise rotation mode and the other is a counterclockwise rotation mode. In the counterclockwise rotation mode, the handle is rotated counterclockwise through an angle of 90 degrees, so that the latching plate is moved to its fastened locking standby position. Rotation angle limiting control of the handle is performed in a manner such that: a rotation angle limiting control disc is mounted on the locking shaft in a position before the latching plate, wherein the rotation angle limiting control disc is fitted between a pair of stop projections both formed in a rear end portion of the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member.
Since the conventional fastener lock apparatus has the above construction, in case that it is necessary to reverse the rotational direction of the handle, it is necessary for the conventional apparatus to disassemble both the latching plate and the rotation angle limiting disc from the locking shaft by unfastening their mounting nuts with the use of spanners and like tools, wherein: each of the latching plate and the rotation angle limiting disc thus disassembled is thereafter rotated through an angle of 180 degrees relative to the locking shaft; then, mounted again on the same locking shaft in an insertion manner; and, finally, fixed to the locking shaft by fastening the above-mentioned mounting nuts.
However, in reversing the rotational mode of the handle, i.e., each time the rotational direction of the handle is reversed, it is necessary for the conventional fastener lock apparatus to perform the above-mentioned cumbersome disassembling and re-assembling operations. Consequently, in this respect, the conventional fastener lock apparatus is disadvantageous.
Further, in the conventional fastener lock apparatus, it is difficult and expensive to form a mounting hole in a panel, in which hole the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member is mounted in an insertion manner to fixedly mount the fixed base mount member on the panel. In addition to the above, when the fixed base mount member is fixedly mounted on the panel by fastening its mounting nut which is threadably engaged with a male screw portion formed in the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member, there is a fear that the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member is obliquely inserted into the mounting hole of the panel when a longitudinal axis of the mounting hole is not perpendicular to the major surface of the panel, which impairs installation of the conventional fastener lock apparatus in the panel.
Further, in the conventional fastener lock apparatus fixedly mounted on the panel, there is no holding means for holding the handle of the fastener lock apparatus in its folded position. Due to this lack of the holding means, the conventional fastener lock apparatus fails to surely prevent an unauthorized person from unlocking the panel.
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fastener lock apparatus, which is capable of reversing the rotational direction of a handle of the apparatus in an easy manner without using any tools, and therefore without requiring any disassembling and re-assembling operations of the apparatus, and further which apparatus is capable of being locked in a folded position of its handle, if necessary.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, the above object of the present invention is accomplished by providing:
A fastener lock apparatus comprising:
a fixed base mount member provided with a bearing sleeve portion and a front concave portion , wherein the front concave portion is formed in a front surface of the fixed base mount member, and a bearing hole is formed in a central portion of a bottom surface of the front concave portion to communicate with the interior of the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member;
a locking shaft mounted in the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member in an insertion manner so as to be axially and rotatably movable therein;
a handle having its proximal end portion connected with a front end portion of the locking shaft through a pivot pin;
a rotation angle limiting disc rotatably received in the front concave portion of the fixed base mount member, wherein the rotation angle limiting disc is provided with an eccentric protrusion which is inserted into a fan-shaped concave portion formed in the front concave portion of the fixed base mount member;
a spring member for biasing the handle toward a front surface portion of the rotation angle limiting disc;
a latching plate fixedly mounted on the locking shaft;
whereby when the latching plate is in its fastened locking position, the proximal end portion of the handle has its first abutting surface abut against the rotation angle limiting disc; and, when the latching plate is in its unfastened relief position, the proximal end portion of the handle has its second abutting surface abut against the rotation angle limiting disc , wherein a distance between the first abutting surface of the handle and the pivot pin is larger than a distance between the second abutting surface of the handle and the pivot pin;
the locking shaft being provided with a rotation inhibiting shaft portion which is fitted in a central through-hole of the rotation angle limiting disc to inhibit the disc from rotating relative to the locking shaft; and
the locking shaft being further provided with a rotation permitting shaft portion which is fitted in the central through-hole of the rotation angle limiting disc to permit the disc to rotate relative to the locking shaft, wherein the locking shaft has the rotation inhibiting shaft portion disposed adjacent to the permitting shaft portion in arrangement.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the above object of the present invention is accomplished by providing:
A fastener lock apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein:
the fastener lock apparatus further comprises a mounting nut;
the mounting nut is provided with a turning operation portion and a guide sleeve portion;
the turning operation portion is provided in a proximal end portion of the mounting nut;
the guide sleeve portion extends in a direction perpendicular to a major surface of the turning operation portion, is provided with a female screw portion in an inner peripheral surface of its front end portion, and mounted in a mounting hole of a panel in an insertion manner;
the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member is provided with a male screw portion in an outer peripheral surface of its proximal end portion so as to have the male screw portion threadably engaged with the female screw portion of the mounting nut in a condition in which the panel is sandwiched between the turning operation portion of the mounting nut and the fixed base mount member;
whereby the fixed base mount member is fixedly mounted on the panel by fastening the mounting nut on the bearing sleeve portion of the fixed base mount member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the above object of the present invention is accomplished by providing:
A fastener lock apparatus according to the first or the second aspect of the present invention, wherein:
the fixed base mount member is provided with a locking protrusion in a lower portion of its front surface in a manner such that the locking protrusion extends forward from the lower portion of the front surface of the fixed base mount member;
the handle is provided with a lateral through-hole in its proximal end portion, the lateral through-hole extending in a direction perpendicular to a plane in which the handle rotates on the pivot pin;
wherein when the handle is in its folded position, the locking protrusion of the fixed base mount member is received in a slit portion formed in the proximal end portion of the handle to permit a hooked rod member of a padlock to pass through and engage with both a front hooked portion of the locking protrusion and the lateral through-hole of the handle.